Accident statistics have proved that roads with the lowest accident rates are those which have been designed and maintained with optimal safety delineation to improve the driving environment. Proper delineation can reduce the number of driver decisions, make decisions as easy as possible, and even forgive should an inaccurate decision occur. The sole function of glass beads in highway marking is to maximize the reflectivity of the markings, thus improving the driving environment and increasing highway safety. The majority of pavement marking done today is reflectorized, painted stripes on an asphaltic highway. It is this system that the paper discusses with respect to the use of beads, available bead types, gradations, coatings, application, evaluation and performance.
Samenvatting